NZ337960A - Produce container with a centrally raised base with non-protruding, smooth edged apertures (aerating holes) with multiple steps on the side walls - Google Patents

Abstract

A stackable crate for fresh produce which includes a base (2), a first and second spaced apart upright walls (4, 6) extending along the length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart upright walls (8, 10 extending along with the width of the base (2). The base (2) is raised so that a raised portion of the base adjacent the center thereof is nearer the mouth of the crate than the edges of the base that connect to at least the first and second of the third and fourth walls. The raised portion is resilient with respect to loads imposed thereon by contents of the container in use.

Description

No 337960 Date 21 September 1999 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "Produce Crate" REESE VISCOUNT LIMITED, a New Zealand company, of 8 Vestey Drive, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand, hereby declares the invention, for which it prays that a patent may be granted to it, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N Z 1 3 DEC 2000 DECEIVED This invention relates to a crate or container In particular, the invention relates to a reusable crate which is intended for use in containing and transporting a wide variety of articles including fresh produce, however the invention is not limited to this application Existing produce crates are known, usually being moulded from a plastics material Such crates frequently have ventilated apertured sections in the walls and base of the crate to allow circulation of air through the crate and therefore circulation of air through the fresh produce within the crate Frequently the edges of air circulation apertures are quite sharp, often sharp enough to cause damage to the produce that contacts the 10 edges With stackable produce crates, such as the crate of the present invention, a crate full of produce is often placed on top of another crate which is full of produce Sometimes, the produce in the crate below contacts the external surface of the base of the upper 15 crate. Since the base usually includes apertures and at least the external surface of the crate often has sharp edges surrounding the apertures, the produce in the lowermost crate is often damaged.

Other disadvantages with known produce crates include the need for reinforcing ribs on 20 the base. The disadvantage in having such ribs is that the produce in adjacent crates, such as crates immediately below the base of the container, can be damaged Also, the ribs can be generally inconvenient as they usually protrude below the base, and they use further plastic material in the moulding process which is undesirable as it adds to the cost of producing the crate Many stackable crates use a "swing bar" or "stacker bar" in order to provide a bar upon which crates that are stacked above the subject crate may rest Such bars are usually moveable between two positions In one position the bar allows nesting of crates In this position the bar is at a peripheral edge of the crate so it does not extend into the 30 mouth of the crate and thus allows another crate to be nested in the instant crate In the other position the bar allows stacking of crates In this position the bar is provided across a part of the mouth of the container and provides a rigid member on which the base of another container may rest A disadvantage with existing constructions is that when a stacker bar is in the nesting position it is frequently difficult for a user to grasp 35 the stacker bar since it usually sits flush with an edge of the crate 2 Furthermore, stacker bars usually need to be created of strong material and the material which is usually selected is a metal Metal swing bars or stacker bars have a number of disadvantages- the metal can cause problems with when the crate and its 5 contents are passed through metal detectors; metal can add considerable weight to the container, metals frequently present rust problems, and metals are usually not as easily recyclable as plastics Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a stacker bar which is constructed of a plastics material Finally, it is often desirable to be able to easily tie down produce crates so that they may be transported Known crates have the problem that their construction does not usually make it easy to fasten securing ropes or straps about the container It is an object of the present invention to provide a crate which will at least go some 15 way toward overcoming the foregoing disadvantages, or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention consists in a stackable crate for fresh produce, including 20 a base having a plurality of apertures therein, first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along with width of the base, and the apertures having smooth edges on at least the external side of the base whereby produce contacting the edges would be unlikely to be damaged by the edges in use.

Preferably the smooth edges are radiused egdes Preferably, edges of the apertures on the internal surface of the base are also radiused Preferably the first, second, third and fourth walls also include a plurality of apertures 35 therein, the edges of these apertures being radiused at least on internal surfaces 3 Preferably the base is raised so that a portion of the base adjacent the centre thereof is nearer the mouth of the crate than portions of the base that are adjacent to at least the first and second or the third and fourth walls Preferably the raised structure of the base substantially negates the necessity for support ribs Preferably at least the first and second walls include steps therein Preferably the steps in the first and second walls are substantially curved in a longitudinal direction.

Preferably at least the first and second walls include slots adjacent to the upper rim 15 thereof adapted to receive protruding portions of a cover Preferably a stacker bar is provided at or adjacent to each end of the first and second walls, the stacker bar being moveable between two positions, a first position in which the stacker bar rests suspended from either end thereof between the first and second 20 walls, and a second position in which the stacker bar rests adjacent to the upper edge of the third or fourth wall Preferably the stacker bar has an elongate central portion which, in cross section, is longer in a longitudinal dimension than in a transverse dimension Preferable the stacker bar is oriented in use so that the longitudinal dimension is substantially vertical in use when the stacker bar is in the first position Preferably the stacker bar is substantially oval in cross-section Preferably the stacker bar is constructed from a plastics material which includes a reinforcing means selected from a fibrous material In a further aspect, the invention consists in a stackable crate, including 35 a base, 4 first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart substantially upnght walls extending along with width of the base, upper edges of the upright walls providing an upper rim of the crate, and the upper rim having a recess in or adjacent to the third and fourth upright walls to allow a user to grasp a stacker bar.

In a further aspect, the invention consists in a stackable crate, including a base, first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along with width of the base, edges of the walls remote from the base defining a mouth of the crate, and a central portion of the base being nearer the mouth of the crate than those portions of the base adjacent to at least the first and second or the third and fourth upright walls Preferably the base is substantially resilient Preferably the base includes a plurality of apertures Preferably the apertures, at least on the external side of the base, have radiused 25 edges In a further aspect, the invention consists in a stackable crate, including a base, first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the 30 length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along with width of the base, and al least the first and second upright walls having steps therein Preferably the steps are substantially curved in the longitudinal direction of the wall In a further aspect, the invention consists in a stackable crate for fresh produce, including a base, first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the length of the base, third and fourth spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the width of the base, and the first and second or the third and fourth upright walls having a slot adjacent 10 to the upper rim thereof for receiving a cover member Preferably each slot is narrower adjacent the upper part thereof than the lower part In a further aspect the invention consists in a stacker bar for a stackable crate, the bar 15 having end portions adapted to engage with one or more of the upright walls, and a central substantially elongate portion, the central portion being substantially oval in cross-section To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in constructions 20 and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only One preferred form of the invention and modifications thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is the perspective view of a crate in accordance with the present invention Figure 2 is a plan view of the crate of figure 1 when viewed from above 35 Figure 3 is a plan view of the crate of the preceding figures, when viewed from below 6 0 Figure 3A is a partial cross section in side elevation through an edge of an aperture in the base of the crate of the preceding figures.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the crate of the preceding figures Figure 5 is an end elevation of the crate of the preceding figures.

Figure 6 is a partial elevation in cross-section of a stacker bar Referring to figure 1, a crate or container is shown generally referenced 1 Although intended primarily for carrying produce, it will be seen that the crate 1 may be used to carry other articles. The crate has a base 2, side walls 4 and 6 and end walls 8 and 10 The base 2 includes a plurality of apertures 12 which allow air to circulate within the container so as to help preserve the produce which the container is intended to carry in use Similarly, apertures 14 are also provided in side walls 4 and 6 and end walls 8 and 10 Referring now to figure 2, the internal surface of the base 2 is shown more clearly in plan view It can be seen from figure 2 that each of the apertures 12 has an edge which is surrounded by a further outer line 16 which signifies the extent of a generally smooth radius or bevel about the edge of the aperture Therefore, the edges of each 25 aperture 12 are substantially smoothly curved by virtue of the radius This has been found to limit damage to the produce that the crate in use contains It has been found that sharp edges can cause significant problems with damage to produce Still referring to figure 2, it will be seen that there is a rectangular portion of the base 2 30 surrounded by lines 18 in the drawing The portions of the base 2 between lines 18 and the intersection of the base with the walls are at substantially the same level However, the central portion of the base 2 which is surrounded by lines 20 is at a slightly higher level than that portion outside 35 lines 18 By higher level, it is meant that that portion of the base surrounded by lines 7 is nearer the mouth rim or upper edges of the container than that portion outside dashed lines 18.

Therefore, the portions of the base which are between lines 18 and 20 are generally 5 angled slightly upwardly toward the mouth of the container This raised base construction provides a number of advantages, including a) The raised structure provides greater support for the base so that ribs across 10 the internal or external surface of the base are not required to support the loads that the crate must carry The lack of ribs has the advantage that there are no protrusions which could damage produce located within the container, or produce in a crate upon which the container is stacked in use Also, less plastics material is required to mould such a container when ribs are absent b) The raised structure assist in the self draining of the container which is desirable in order to eliminate liquids which may accelerate deterioration of the produce that the crate in use contains c) A raised base provides some resilience to the container base so that when the produce is being carried across rough terrain, the extent of damage to the produce can be lessened by the base having some "give" Referring to figure 3, it will be seen that the apertures 12 in the base are also radiused 25 or bevelled to eliminate any sharp edges on the underside of the base This provides the advantage that articles such as produce piled in a lower crate which is stacked immediately below the instant crate will not be, or is at least unlikely to be, damaged by the edges of apertures on the external side of the base of the instant crate Figure 3A is a cross section through an edge of an aperture 12 in the base of the crate As shown in figure 3A, the edges 15 of the aperture are smoothly curved, or radiused on each side of the aperture Turning now to figure 4, the container of the preceding figures is shown in side 35 elevation in which it can be seen that the lower side walls include notches 30 at either 8 end thereof so that the crate may sit upon the stacker bars of an adjacent lower crate located immediately below The stacker bars will be discussed in more detail further below The upper edges of the side walls include notches 32 which allow a half crate (not shown) to be stacked on top of a full crate The side walls 4 and 6 are arranged in a number of substantially vertical sections In the embodiment illustrated, there are three substantially vertical sections of the side wall referenced 34, 36 and 38 with corresponding steps 40, 42 and 44 where the wall expands outwardly between the vertical sections Furthermore, the stepped regions 10 are longitudinally curved as referenced by curved regions 46, 48 and 50 There is also a further curved step 52 The curved steps provide a visually aesthetic feature and also add to the strength of the side to prevent substantial bowing of the container in use Turning to figure 5, the crate of the preceding figures is shown in end elevation The end wall includes a card holder generally referenced 60 for holding a temporary label, and an area 62 is preferably provided for a label which is to be semi-permanently affixed In end elevation, strap retainers 64 can be seen The strap retainers generally include two planar projections referenced 66 and 68 which are arranged substantially 20 perpendicularly to each other and some distance from the body of the container The distance of the retainers 64 from the container allows a piece of elongate material such as a strap or a rope to be disposed between the surfaces of the retainer and the body of the container for the purposes of tying containers together for transportation purposes It will be seen that the stacker bars 70 (refer to figure 1) have end portions 72 that engage with each end wall or adjacent side walls of the crate The bar can move pivotally between a first position as shown in figure 1 for carrying another crate vertically above the crate of figure 1, and a second position in which it rests on an 30 upper edge or rim of the end walls 8 and 10 The upper rims of end walls 8 and 10 have recesses 74 and 76 therein to allow a user to grasp the stacker bar when it is in the second position, by a user placing one or more fingertips for example in the recess to gain a purchase on the underside of the bar 9 Referring to figure 6, the central portion 78 of the stacker bar has a long axis 80 in one direction and a shorter axis 82 in a transverse direction The central portion is substantially oval in cross-section as illustrated in figure 6. The long axis 80 of the oval is substantially vertical when the bar is in the position shown in figure 1 This adds to 5 the strength of the bar while still allowing minimal use of plastics material To provide strength, the bar has fibre reinforcing e g being fibre glass or carbon fibre nylon or other thermoplastic construction It will be seen from the foregoing that a container is provided which has many 10 advantages, including substantial prevention of damage to produce which is intended to be carried by the container, a rib free base which is also self training, strap or tie down retainers for increased stability and ease of use during transportation and strong, yet inexpensive, stacker bars

Claims (4)

1. Claims

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   intellectual property office of n.z.

   1 0 MAY 2002 RECEIVED

   A stackable crate for fresh produce, including a base,

   first and second spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along the length of the base,

   third and fourth spaced apart substantially upright walls extending along with width of the base, and wherein the base is raised so that a raised portion of the base adjacent the centre thereof is nearer the mouth of the crate than the edges of the base that connect to at least the first and second or the third and fourth walls and wherein the raised portion is resilient with respect to loads imposed thereon by contents of the container in use
2. 2 A stackable crate as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base has a plurality of

   15 ventilation apertures therein and the apertures have smooth edges on at least the external side of the base whereby produce contacting the edges would be unlikely to be damaged by the edges in use
3. 3 A stackable crate as claimed in claim 2 wherein the smooth edges are radiused 20 egdes
4. 4 A stackable crate as claimed in claim 3 wherein edges of the apertures on the internal surface of the base are also radiused

   25 5 A stackable crate as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the first, second, third and fourth walls include a plurality of ventilation apertures therein, the edges of these apertures being radiused at least on internal surfaces

   30 6 A stackable crate as claimed in claim 1 wherein the underside of the base is substantially devoid of support ribs

   7 A stackable crate as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein at least the first and second walls include steps therein

   35

   11

   8

   A stackable crate as claimed in claim 7 wherein the steps in the first and second walls are substantially curved in a longitudinal direction

   9

   5

   10

   10

   15 11

   12

   20

   13

   25

   14

   30 15

   A stackable crate as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein at least the first and second walls include slots adjacent to the upper rim thereof adapted to receive protruding portions of a cover

   A stackable crate as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a stacker bar is provided at or adjacent to each end of the first and second walls, the stacker bar being moveable between two positions, a first position in which the stacker bar rests suspended from either end thereof between the first and second walls, and a second position in which the stacker bar rests adjacent to the upper edge of the third or fourth wall

   A stackable crate as claimed in claim 10 wherein the stacker bar has an elongate central portion which, in cross section, is longer in a longitudinal dimension than in a transverse dimension

   A stackable crate as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the stacker bar is oriented in use so that the longitudinal dimension is substantially vertical in use when the stacker bar is in the first position

   A stackable crate as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein the stacker bar is substantially oval in cross-section

   A stackable crate as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13 wherein the stacker bar is constructed from a plastics material which includes a reinforcing means selected from a fibrous material

   A stackable crate as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14 wherein upper edges of the upright walls provide an upper rim of the crate, and the upper rim has a recess in or adjacent to the third and fourth upright walls to allow a user to grasp the stacker bar

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   intellectual property office 'of n.z.

   1 0 MAY 2002 RECEIVED

   • '6

   A stackable crate as claimed in claim 9 wherein each slot is narrower adjacent the upper part thereof than the lower part

   17 A stackable crate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings

   END OF CLAIMS

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   intellectual property officb of n.z.

   1 0 MAY 2002 RECEIVED